Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 7 July 2014 to Question 203665, when he plans to publish a report on the initial findings of the series of behaviour change trials carried out by his Department to test different interventions that tackle barriers that prevent parents making regular child maintenance payments.
Answered by Steve Webb
The series of behaviour change trials are now complete, and full evaluation is on-going. Where appropriate, findings will be published once full evaluation is complete. Trials that we have found to be successful are already being considered for wider implementation and we will be incorporating the learning from all our trials into our approach to tackling compliance and arrears.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, with reference to the Answer to the hon. Member for Edinburgh East of 10 December 2012, Official Report, column 47W, on employment and support allowance, what average time was taken by his Department's decision makers to issue a decision to employment and support allowance claimants following receipt of advice from Atos Healthcare in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The average time between the recommendation made by Atos Healthcare and the decision reached by the Department’s decision maker is 14 days. This refers to all initial decisions made on new Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) claims started in 2013.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2014 to Question 205883, what the full cost, including apportioned indirect costs, is of processing a new claim for jobseeker's allowance; and what the full cost is of a jobseeker's allowance interview.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Please see table below:
Unit Cost - Total Costs | |
JSA Claims (Incl LMDM) | £ 27.16 |
(WS) JSA NJI Advice | £ 46.48 |
The cost of processing a New Claim for Jobseekers’ Allowance is provided in JSA Claims. We have provided the unit costs for 13/14. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one JSA Claim through the process.
For the costs of a jobseekers' allowance interview, we have provided the New Jobseekers’ interview Unit cost for 13/14 under JSA NJI advice. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one New Jobseekers’ interview.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what average time was taken between an employment and support allowance applicant undergoing a work capability assessment and advice being submitted to a decision maker for decision in the most recent year for which data is available.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Completed assessment reports are available to the Department within 24 hours of the assessment taking place.
A regular sample of cases is submitted for audit before being available to the Department. For the last year around 9% of cases were audited, these being available to the Department in an average of 15 working days after the assessment.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 21 July 2014 to Question 205882, what the full cost, including apportioned indirect costs, is of initiating payment of employment and support allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate; what the full cost is of an ESA change; and how many changes ESA claimants require on average per year.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Please see the table below:
| Operational Operating Costs | Unit Cost | Total DWP Operating Costs | Unit Cost - Total Costs |
ESA Claims | £21,639,678.74 | £25.09 | £59,680,390.98 | £66.66 |
ESA Changes (Incl WCA) | £61,465,559.37 | £12.74 | £143,414,434.36 | £28.52 |
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| Number of Customers | ESA Changes Processed | Average Number of Changes |
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ESA Changes | 1,880,822 | 5,028,874 | 2.67 |
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The cost of initiating payment of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate is provided in ESA Claims. We have provided the annual costs for 13/14 and the Unit Costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA Claim through the process.
We have provided the annual cost for ESA changes 13/14 and the unit costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA change being made.
We have calculated the average number of changes required by ESA claimants in 13/14 by dividing the number of ESA changes processed by the number of ESA customers.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, pursuant to the Answer of 14 July 2014, Official Report, column 583W, on domestic visits, what domestic visits he has made since January 2013; and what the purpose of each such visit was.
Answered by Steve Webb
The Secretary of State regularly visits Departmental offices across the country to meet with staff providing services to DWP customers. He also makes regular visits to external organisations in relation to welfare reform. Details of any events where hospitality is provided are published regularly by the Cabinet Office and are available at:
https://www.gov.uk/government/collections/dwp-ministers-hospitality-and-gifts
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the average time was between (a) an employment and support allowance applicant submitting an ESA 50 questionnaire and undergoing a work capability assessment, (b) an employment and support allowance applicant undergoing a work capability assessment and advice being submitted to a decision-maker and (c) advice being submitted to a decision-maker and a decision being issued to an employment and support allowance applicant in each year since 2008.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
The information requested is not readily available and to provide it would incur disproportionate cost.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost is of initiating payment of employment and support allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate; what the annual cost is of maintaining an existing claim for ESA; and what the cost is of closing a claim for ESA.
Answered by Mark Harper - Secretary of State for Transport
Please see table below:
| Operating Cost | Unit Cost |
ESA Claims | £21,639,678.74 | £25.09 |
ESA Changes | £52,547,108.49 | £10.89 |
The cost of initiating payment of Employment and Support Allowance (ESA) at the assessment rate is provided in ESA Claims. We have provided the annual costs for 13/14 and the Unit Costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA Claim through the process.
The annual cost of maintaining an existing claim for ESA would be provided in ESA Changes. We have provided the annual cost for 13/14 and the unit costs. The Unit Cost is the average cost of one ESA change being made.
The cost of closing an ESA Claim is included in the ESA Change costs and cannot be extracted separately.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, what the cost is of processing a new claim for jobseekers' allowance; what the cost is of a jobseekers' allowance interview; and what the annual cost is of maintaining an existing claim for jobseekers' allowance.
Answered by Esther McVey - Minister without Portfolio (Cabinet Office)
Please see table below:
| Unit cost |
JSA Claims | £13.72 |
JSA NJI Advice | £20.37 |
DWP does not carry information on the annual cost of maintaining an existing claim.
Asked by: Sheila Gilmore (Labour - Edinburgh East)
Question to the Department for Work and Pensions:
To ask the Secretary of State for Work and Pensions, if he will estimate the number of pensioners that would be lifted out of poverty if take-up of means-tested benefits was 100 per cent.
Answered by Steve Webb
An up-to-date estimate of the number of pensioners that would be lifted out of poverty if take-up of means-tested benefits was 100 per cent is not available. The latest estimate available, published in 2011 (PQ 33325, Official Report, 13 January 2011, column 429W), showed that an estimated 600,000 pensioners would be lifted out of poverty if take-up of means-tested benefits was 100 per cent. It should be noted, however, that given that there have been changes to the policy context, the level of pensioner poverty, and in the wider economy over the period, this figure is likely to have changed since then.